Written Answers Friday 11 November 2005

Scottish Executive

Air Services

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to introduce public service obligations on flights from mainland Scotland to (a) Stornoway, (b) Benbecula, (c) Sumburgh and (d) Kirkwall airports.

Tavish Scott: The Scottish Executive’s main aim is to ensure that I delivery of lower fares for Scotland’s island communities. The precise mechanism is currently being developed and I shall announce details as soon as is practicable.

Air Services

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether public service obligations applied to flights from mainland Scotland to (a) Stornoway, (b) Benbecula, (c) Sumburgh and (d) Kirkwall airports will specify a reduction in ticket prices and, if so, what level that reduction will be.

Tavish Scott: The precise mechanism to deliver lower fares for Scotland’s island communities is being developed. It is being designed to ensure that communities receive substantial fare reductions. Any scheme requires European Commission approval and I shall announce details as soon as is practicable.

Anti-Social Behaviour

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many anti-social behaviour orders have been (a) applied for and (b) granted for people over 16 in each month since they were introduced, broken down by local authority area.

Hugh Henry: The available information on numbers of ASBOs applied for and granted in each local authority area between 1 December 1999 to 31 March 2004 is presented in the following two tables. This information is not compiled on a monthly basis.

  ASBOs Granted by Local Authority

  

Local Authority
1 December 1999 to 
30 November 2000
1 December 2000 to 
30 November 2001
1 December 2001 to
30 November 2002
1 December 2002 to
31 March 20031
1 April 2003 to
31 March 20042


Aberdeen City
9
9
6
3
12


Aberdeenshire
0
1
1
0
0


Angus
0
0
0
0
0


Argyll and Bute
0
0
0
0
0


City of Edinburgh
11
9
1
0
7


Clackmannanshire
0
0
0
0
0


Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar
0
0
0
0
0


Dumfries and Galloway
0
0
1
0
7


Dundee City
7
8
3
3
20


East Ayrshire
0
0
0
2
4


East Dunbartonshire
0
0
0
0
0


East Lothian
0
0
0
0
2


East Renfrewshire
0
0
0
0
1


Falkirk
0
0
0
0
2


Fife
7
14
20
2
14


Glasgow
3
5
3
0
2


Highland
1
0
4
0
3


Inverclyde
0
0
0
0
0


Midlothian
0
0
1
0
3


Moray 
1
2
2
1
0


North Ayrshire
0
0
0
0
1


North Lanarkshire
1
5
15
12
31


Orkney Islands
0
0
1
0
2


Perth and Kinross
3
1
0
0
0


Renfrewshire
0
2
2
0
7


Scottish Borders 
2
3
4
1
8


Shetland Islands 
0
0
0
0
1


South Ayrshire
0
0
0
0
0


South Lanarkshire
3
2
5
0
7


Stirling 
0
0
1
1
6


West Dunbartonshire
4
5
2
2
3


West Lothian
1
0
0
0
5


Total
53
66
72
27
148



  Sources: Data up to March 2003: The Chartered Institute of Housing In Scotland. Targeting Anti-Social Behaviour. The use of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders in Scotland. October 2003

  Data from April 2003: DTZ Pieda and Heriot Watt University. Use of Antisocial Behaviour Orders in Scotland Scottish Executive. March 2005.

  Notes:

  1. Note this is not a full year. The reporting period has been changed to 1 April to 31 March. The figures in this column cover the transitional period while this change was being made.

  2. This is the number of full ASBOs in each local authority area, including applications by registered social landlords (RSL). Interim ASBOs and the power for RSLs to apply for orders came into effect on 27 June 2003.

  ASBOs Applied for by Local Authority

  

Local Authority
1 December 1999
to
  30 November 2000
1 December 2000 to
30 November 2001
1 December 2001
to
  30 November 2002
1 December 2002
to
  31 March 20031
1 April 2003 
to
31 March 20042


Aberdeen City
15
9
7
3
12


Aberdeenshire
0
1
1
0
0


Angus
0
2
0
1
2


Argyll and Bute
0
0
0
0
0


City of Edinburgh
19
16
1
0
15


Clackmannanshire
0
0
0
0
0


Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar
0
0
0
0
0


Dumfries and Galloway
0
0
2
2
13


Dundee City
11
10
4
4
26


East Ayrshire
11
1
2
3
6


East Dunbartonshire
0
1
0
0
0


East Lothian
0
0
0
0
3


East Renfrewshire
0
0
0
0
1


Falkirk
0
0
0
0
5


Fife
5
14
25
5
16


Glasgow
7
5
3
1
6


Highland
1
1
5
0
9


Inverclyde
0
0
0
0
1


Midlothian
0
1
1
0
4


Moray 
1
3
3
1
3


North Ayrshire
0
0
0
0
1


North Lanarkshire
7
14
16
19
40


Orkney Islands
0
0
1
0
2


Perth and Kinross
5
1
0
1
0


Renfrewshire
0
2
4
3
10


Scottish Borders 
4
9
4
4
11


Shetland Islands 
0
0
0
0
2


South Ayrshire
0
0
0
0
1


South Lanarkshire
5
4
9
11
20


Stirling 
0
1
1
2
15


West Dunbartonshire
4
5
4
4
3


West Lothian
1
0
0
0
8


Total
96
100
93
64
235



  Source: Data up to March 2003: The Chartered Institute of Housing In Scotland. Targeting Anti-Social Behaviour. The use of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders in Scotland. October 2003.

  Data from April 2003: DTZ Pieda and Heriot Watt University. Use of Antisocial Behaviour Orders in Scotland Scottish Executive. March 2005.

  Notes:

  1. This is not a full year. The reporting period has been changed to 1 April to 31 March. The figures in this column cover the transitional period while this change was being made.

  2. This is the number of applications in each local authority area, including applications by registered social landlords (RSL). Interim ASBOs and the power for RSLs to apply for orders came into effect on 27 June 2003.

Anti-Social Behaviour

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many anti-social behaviour orders have been (a) applied for and (b) granted for people aged from 12 to 15 in each month since they were introduced, broken down by local authority area.

Hugh Henry: Monthly statistics on the use of Antisocial Behaviour Orders for people aged 12 to 15 years are not collected by the Scottish Executive. Six monthly statistics based on returns from local councils will be available in due course. We are currently aware of two ASBOs for 12 to 15-year-olds which were granted to Renfrewshire Council (in September 2005) and City of Edinburgh Council (in October 2005).

Anti-Social Behaviour

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost is of granting an anti-social behaviour order for a person over 16.

Hugh Henry: There is no robust information on the average cost for granting an antisocial behaviour order (ASBO) available for Scotland. Research on the use of mediation to tackle antisocial behaviour collected cost data producing an average cost of a granted ASBO in Scotland of just over £2,200. This research was, however, based on a limited number of ASBOs. This study also highlighted that the costs involved in obtaining an ASBO varied widely depending on such factors as local practices, staff experience and circumstances. Research into the use of ASBOs in Scotland is currently exploring the costs associated with ASBOs granted in a number of case studies.

Anti-Social Behaviour

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost is of granting an anti-social behaviour order for a person aged from 12 to 15.

Hugh Henry: There is no information available on the average cost for granting an anti-social behaviour order (ASBO) for a 12 to 15 year old in Scotland. Research on the use of mediation to tackle antisocial behaviour collected cost data producing an average cost of a granted ASBO in Scotland of just over £2,200. This research was, however, based on a limited number of ASBOs and did not include any ASBOs for 12 to 15-year-olds which were unavailable at the time of the research.

Anti-Social Behaviour

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people aged from 12 to 15 have breached an anti-social behaviour order in each month since the orders were introduced, broken down by local authority area.

Hugh Henry: Monthly statistics on the use of Antisocial Behaviour Orders for people aged 12 to 15 years are not collected by the Scottish Executive. Six monthly statistics based on returns from local councils will be available in due course. We are currently aware of two ASBOs for 12 to 15-year-olds which were granted to Renfrewshire Council (in September 2005) and City of Edinburgh Council (in October 2005). As at the end of October 2005, neither of these ASBOs had been breached.

Anti-Social Behaviour

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many instances of anti-social behaviour by people over 16 have been reported to police in each month since January 1999, broken down by local authority area.

Hugh Henry: This information is not held centrally.

Anti-Social Behaviour

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which areas have been designated as areas where police officers can use powers of dispersal as introduced by the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004, broken down by local authority area.

Hugh Henry: Dispersal powers can be authorised in any area of Scotland where antisocial behaviour is a significant, persistent and serious problem. Authorisation of a dispersal order is made by a senior police officer in consultation with the relevant local authority (or local authorities).

Anti-Social Behaviour

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many graffiti removal notices have been issued in each month since they were introduced, broken down by local authority area.

Hugh Henry: Monthly statistics on the use of graffiti removal notices are not collected by the Scottish Executive. Six-monthly statistics based on returns from local councils will be available in due course.

Anti-Social Behaviour

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many premises have been closed down using the closure of premises powers in each month since the powers were introduced, broken down by local authority area.

Hugh Henry: Monthly statistics on the use of powers for closure of premises under the Antisocial Behaviour (Scotland) Act 2004 are not collected by the Scottish Executive. Nine closure orders have been applied since the powers were introduced in October 2004 until the end of September 2005. These statistics are collated by police force area rather than by local authority. The breakdown by police force area is: Fife Constabulary (4), Tayside Police (3), Lothian and Borders Police (1), Strathclyde Police (1).

Legal Aid

Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many legal firms are registered to provide legal aid services.

Hugh Henry: A total of 759 firms were on the civil legal aid register and 637 on the criminal register as at 7 November 2005.

Legal Aid

Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many legal firms are registered to provide legal aid services but do not do so.

Hugh Henry: Registration of firms to provide civil and/or children’s legal assistance was introduced on 1 July 2004. In the period to 31 July 2005, 54 of the 759 registered firms submitted no applications.

  Registration of firms to provide criminal legal assistance was introduced in October 1998. Between 1 July 2004 and 30 June 2005 every one of the 637 firms on the register submitted at least one application in relation to one or more forms of criminal legal assistance.

Parenting Orders

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many parenting orders have been issued in each month since they were introduced, broken down by local authority area.

Peter Peacock: No parenting orders have been issued since they came into force on 4 April 2005 by way of a three year national pilot. Parenting orders will only be appropriate where a parent has been offered help and support on a voluntary basis and has refused to engage with this support. Local authorities are currently putting services in places in order to provide this support and are agreeing approaches for use of parenting orders with their partners locally.

Planning

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish a response to the findings of the report by Ove Arup and Partners on resources for planning, published in July 2005.

Johann Lamont: The report has not yet been published. We expect to publish it around the time the Planning Bill is introduced to Parliament. While the Executive will not be publishing a formal response to the report, it will assist in informing debate on the proposals for reform, in particular any financial implications.

Rail Network

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation it has undertaken with stakeholders in the railway network with regard to access for disabled people.

Tavish Scott: Earlier this year the Strategic Rail Authority undertook a consultation on the use of the Access for All fund. The Scottish Executive is currently consulting on the priorities for rail in Scotland, including specific changes people would like to see to the rail network.

Rail Network

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has spent since 2000 in making rural railway stations accessible to disabled people.

Tavish Scott: Funding has been awarded for improvement at several stations, however, we cannot identify how much of this was spent specifically on improving access for people with disabilities.

Rail Network

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it would cost to make all railway stations fully accessible to disabled people.

Tavish Scott: An on-going programme of improvements to stations will include provision for increased accessibility. We do not have an estimate of the cost of making all stations fully accessible in isolation from other improvements. The Access for All fund provides £370 million to spend in Great Britain over ten years.

Rail Network

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the breakdown of responsibilities is between it and the UK Government for ensuring that railway stations in Scotland are accessible to disabled people.

Tavish Scott: Responsibility for the Disability Discrimination Act rest with the UK government. Discussions are currently taking place between the Scottish Executive and the Department for Transport on the management of the Access for All fund in Scotland.

Rail Network

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it has given to local authorities for railway station improvements, broken down by local authority.

Tavish Scott: Funding awarded by the Executive since 1999 to local authorities specifically for railway station improvements is set out in the following table:

  

Local Authority
Railway Stations
Total Value of Award(s)
(£ Million)


Aberdeenshire Council
Dyce, Inverurie, Stonehaven
£0.300


Angus Council
Arbroath, Carnoustie, Montrose
£1.754


Dumfries and Galloway Council
Lockerbie
£0.750


East Lothian Council
Drem, Dunbar, Longniddry, Musselburgh, North Berwick, Prestonpans, Wallyford 
£0.312


East Renfrewshire Council
Barrhead, Clarkston, Giffnock, Neilston, Patterton, Thornliebank, Whitecraigs, Williamwood 
£0.723


Falkirk Council
Camelon, Falkirk Grahamston, Falkirk High, Larbert, Polmont
£2.350


Fife Council
Aberdour, Burntisland, Cardenden, Cowdenbeath, Dalgety Bay, Dunfermline Queen Margaret Dunfermline Town, Glenrothes with Thornton, Inverkeithing, Kinghorn, Kirkcaldy, Lochgelly, Markinch, North Queensferry, Rosyth 
£11.857


Highland Council
Aviemore, Fort William
£0.942


North Lanarkshire Council
Greenfaulds
£1.107


South Ayrshire Council
Barrhill, Girvan, Maybole, Newton-on-Ayr, Prestwick Airport, Prestwick Town, Troon
£1.415


South Lanarkshire Council
Hamilton Central, Hamilton West, Newton, Uddingston
£1.061


Stirling Council
Bridge of Allan, Dunblane, Stirling 
£3.741


Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority
Partick
£6.300


Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority
Croy
£5.000


West Lothian Council
Bathgate, Livingston North, Livingston South
£1.586



  Some local authorities have also been awarded funding for railway station enhancement works as part of a wider programme of public transport measures. As these measures were not individually priced in the relevant award, they have not been included in the above table.

Rail Network

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it has allocated for railway station improvements for disabled people in (a) 2005-06, (b) 2006-07 and (c) 2007-08.

Tavish Scott: The terms of the franchise agreement with First ScotRail include a "minor works budget" of £250,000 per annum, to be spent on small scale physical alterations or additions to improve accessibility of stations to disabled persons. The Scottish Executive has also awarded funding for footbridges allowing disabled access at Lockerbie, Rosyth and Montrose railway stations from its Public Transport Fund and Integrated Transport Fund. All three projects have yet to have a clear timetable for delivery, and the Executive is in discussion with the relevant local authorities to ensure funding can be allocated as appropriate.

Road Safety

Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria exist for determining whether lighting is installed at junctions of single carriageway trunk roads with B, C and unclassified local authority-maintained roads.

Tavish Scott: Lighting is provided for safety reasons and is generally only provided through urban or built up areas, busy junctions or roundabouts. Lighting is not provided at isolated rural locations on trunk roads except where there is a high incidence of night time accidents.

Road Safety

Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria are employed to determine whether pedestrian crossings can be installed on single carriageway trunk roads in centres of population.

Tavish Scott: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-16499 on 26 May 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Road Safety

Alasdair Morgan (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made, or will make, any assessment of speeds on the A77 south of the monitored area from south of Girvan to north of Ayr since the introduction of the Speed Enforcement Camera System (SPECS) in that area.

Tavish Scott: The Scottish Executive is monitoring traffic speeds on the A77 south of the SPECS speed enforcement camera system area. The Scottish Road Traffic Database traffic counters at Bennane Shore and Glen App are being used to assess the impact of SPECS south of the enforcement zone.

Scottish Executive Contracts

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total value was of its Development Department contracts awarded to businesses with headquarters in Scotland; how many such contracts there were; what percentage these values and numbers represented of the total (a) value and (b) number of its Development Department contracts, and what the value was of each contract in each of the last three financial years.

Mr Tom McCabe: The Scottish Executive does not hold this information centrally and therefore could only provide this information at disproportionate cost.

Street Lighting

Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the commencement and completion dates are of the installation of replacement lighting columns on the A68 in Jedburgh and whether it is satisfied with the period of time taken.

Tavish Scott: The work to renew the street lighting system on the A68 through Jedburgh commenced on 29 November 2004 and was completed on 29 May 2005.

  The Scottish Executive acknowledges that the duration of this work was unduly protracted due to a number of factors. These included adverse weather and the lack of accurate records on the location of underground public utilities which required an extensive amount of hand digging to be carried out.

Street Lighting

Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it monitors the performance of the trunk road agents in repairing street lights on the A68 and A7 in the Scottish Borders.

Tavish Scott: The performance of the trunk road agents in repairing street lights on the A68 and A7 is monitored by the independent Performance Audit Group which comprises Halcrow working in association with PricewaterhouseCoopers and Scott Wilson.

Street Lighting

Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how long lighting in Buccleuch Street on the A7 in Hawick has been left unrepaired or has been the subject of temporary repairs; whether it is satisfied with the level of performance by those responsible for this work, and whether it will investigate any cause for complaint.

Tavish Scott: The Scottish Executive is not aware of any unrepaired lighting defects in Buccleuch Street on the A7 in Hawick. Random bulb failures are addressed by Amey Infrastructure Services as part of routine maintenance. A temporary power supply was installed in October 2004 to address a long-standing fault and this has operated satisfactorily since that date. Work has now started to completely renew the lighting system on the A7 in Hawick.

  The Performance Audit Group has reported that Amey’s performance in responding to lighting defects on the A7 is in accordance with the timescales required in the trunk road maintenance contract. However, officials in the Scottish Executive’s Trunk Roads Network Management Division will be happy to investigate any specific complaints.

Wildlife

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received from interested groups in relation to the protection and conservation of the native red squirrel.

Rhona Brankin: Red Squirrel South Scotland (RSSS) and Dundee Red Squirrel Project made representations to the Scottish Executive, receiving £15,000 and £25,000 respectively for 2005 to 2007 under the Biodiversity Action Grants Scheme. This funding will allow them to employ Red Squirrel Conservation Officers and to raise public awareness of the work being carried out to conserve the species.

  The Scottish Executive subsequently allocated a further £10,000 funding to monitor the health of squirrel populations and consider methods of keeping the squirrel pox virus out of Scotland.

  In addition, I am aware that Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and the Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) have received applications from RSSS and the Ayrshire Red Squirrel Group for funding to employ part and full time squirrel workers. SNH has also received applications from the Grampian and Highland Squirrel Groups for funding as part of a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) bid. These applications are at various stages of consideration and a decision will be made on them shortly.

Wildlife

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to the UK Government and European Commission in relation to the protection and conservation of the native red squirrel.

Rhona Brankin: My officials are in regular contact with staff in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Welsh Assembly Government on a number of species related matters, including red squirrels.

  Red squirrels are not currently protected under any European Directive. The threat to European populations of red squirrels has been raised with the Bern Convention by the UK Government, with input from the Scottish Executive. The Convention addresses nature conservation measures across the European Continent, with the aim of conserving wild flora and fauna, and their habitats, through the promotion of European co-operation to tackle common problems.

Wildlife

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to research squirrel pox virus disease.

Rhona Brankin: Red Squirrel South Scotland was allocated £10,000 by the Scottish Executive in September 2005. This funding will support monitoring of the local populations of red squirrels in Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders and allow examination and implementation of contingency measures to keep the squirrel pox virus out of Scotland.

  The Scottish Executive is considering the need for further funding into research for the prevention/containment of the squirrel pox virus should it enter Scotland. Scottish Natural Heritage and Forestry Commission Scotland will be closely consulted in this process. Forest Research, an agency of the Forestry Commission, has already contributed to a recent workshop and paper on the research needs in relation to squirrel pox virus.

Wildlife

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it will make available for research into squirrel pox virus disease.

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive has already made funding of £25,000 available through its Biodiversity Action Grants Scheme to Red Squirrel South Scotland (RSSS), together with an additional award of £10,000 for them to monitor the local populations of red squirrels in Dumfries and Galloway, and the Borders areas, and to examine and implement contingency measures to keep the squirrel pox virus out of Scotland.

  The Scottish Executive is considering the need for further funding into research for the prevention/containment of the squirrel pox virus should it enter Scotland. Scottish Natural Heritage and Forestry Commission Scotland will be closely consulted in this process.